Database message builder

• US 8,423,582 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Griggs, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US12/687,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 707/802, 707/828
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data

Abstract

A database message builder presents a message building window on a user interface of a database application for retrieving structured data from one or more fields of a database record of the database and unstructured data (e.g., free form text) entered by a user of the database application. The message building window can be used to build database messages using a variety of structured and unstructured data. One or more tokens corresponding to the structured data in the database (e.g., database record fields) can be used in the window to build a database message. The user can publish the message to a target application or network resource (e.g., a social networking site). Prior to publication, the tokens can be replaced with corresponding structured data from the record fields. A current character count or character limit for the selected target application or network resource can be displayed in the user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more computer processors for database message building, comprising:

displaying, through a user interface of a computer system, both an item window including structured data associated with at least one field of a record selected in a database and a message building window separate and distinct from the item window;

receiving, from a user, unstructured data through the message building window and at least one selection of the structured data through the item window; and

displaying a message in the message building window, the message including the unstructured data combined with a token representing the at least one selected structured data;

wherein

the message building window enables the user to publish the displayed message to an external source; and

the receiving the at least one selection of the structured data through the item window further comprises;

determining the user dragged the field in the item window to the message building window at a specific position; and

populating the message building window with the token representing the selected structured data at the specified position.

2. The method of claim 1, where the unstructured data includes text entered by the user operating an input device of the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the user to publish the displayed message to an external source further comprising:

receiving a first input selecting a target application or network resource;

receiving a second input specifying an intent to publish the message on the selected target application or network resource;

responsive to the second input, replacing the token with structured data retrieved from a field of the database record corresponding to the token; and

sending the message, including the retrieved structured and received unstructured data, to the target application or network resource for publishing.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying a current character count or character limit for the selected target application or network resource.

5. The method of claim 3, where the target network resource is a website.

6. The method of claim 3, where the target application is an email application.

7. The method of claim 1, where displaying the message in the message building window further comprises:

displaying a preset text string in the message building window;

receiving input specifying an edit to the preset text string; and

editing the preset text string based on the input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input specifying a field to be added to the message building window; and

displaying a token in the message building window representing the specified field.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving the structured and unstructured data on the computer system, where saving includes associating the structured and unstructured data with a data collection of the database.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving the token and unstructured data on the computer system as a preset text string, where saving includes associating the token and unstructured data with a data collection of the database.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for database message building having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer processor, causes the processor to perform operations, comprising:

displaying, through a user interface of a computer system, both an item window including structured data associated with at least one field of a record selected in a database and a message building window separate and distinct from the item window;

receiving, from a user, unstructured data through the message building window and at least one selection of the structured data through the item window; and

displaying a message in the message building window, the message including the unstructured data combined with a token representing the at least one selected structured data;

wherein

the message building window enables the user to publish the displayed message to an external source; and

the receiving the at least one selection of the structured data through the item window further comprises;

determining the user dragged the field in the item window to the message building window at a specific position; and

populating the message building window with the token representing the selected structured data at the specified position.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the unstructured data includes text entered by the user operating an input device of the computer system.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein enabling the user to publish the displayed message to an external source further comprising:

receiving a first input selecting a target application or network resource;

receiving a second input specifying an intent to publish the message on the selected target application or network resource;

responsive to the second input, replacing the token with structured data retrieved from a field of the database record corresponding to the token; and

sending the message, including the retrieved structured and received unstructured data, to the target application or network resource for publishing.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying a current character count or character limit for the selected target application or network resource.

15. The computer-readable medium method of claim 13, where the target network resource is a website.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the target application is an email application.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where displaying the message in the message building window further comprises:

displaying a preset text string in the message building window;

receiving input specifying an edit to the preset text string; and

editing the preset text string based on the input.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving input specifying a field to be added to the message building window; and

displaying a token in the message building window representing the specified field.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

saving the structured and unstructured data on the computer system, where saving includes associating the structured and unstructured data with a data collection of the database.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

saving the token and unstructured data on the computer system as a preset text string, where saving includes associating the token and unstructured data with a data collection of the database.

21. A database message building system, comprising:

a computer processor,

a computer memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

displaying, through a user interface of a computer system, both an item window including structured data associated with at least one field of a record selected in a database and a message building window separate and distinct from the item window;

receiving, from a user, unstructured data through the message building window and at least one selection of the structured data through the item window; and

displaying a message in the message building window, the message including the unstructured data combined with a token representing the at least one selected structured data;

wherein

the message building window enables the user to publish the displayed message to an external source; and

the receiving the at least one selection of the structured data through the item window further comprises;

determining the user dragged the field in the item window to the message building window at a specific position; and

populating the message building window with the token representing the selected structured data at the specified position.

22. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more computer processors for database message building, comprising:

displaying, through a user interface of a computer system, both an item window including structured data associated with at least one field of a record selected in a database and a message building window separate and distinct from the item window;

receiving text input from a user through the message building window;

retrieving tokens specified by the user through the item window, the tokens representing structured data selected by the user and associated with the selected database record;

displaying a string in the message building window, the string including a combination of the text input and the tokens, wherein

the message building window enables the user to publish the displayed string to an external source; and

the retrieving tokens specified by the user through the item window further comprises;

in response to the user indicating a specific position in the message building window,

displaying field names for the at least one field in the item window; and

populating the message building window with the tokens at the specific location of the message window in response to a selection of a field name.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein enabling the user to publish the displayed string to an external source further comprising:

receiving input through the user interface specifying publication of the message displayed in the message building window; and

responsive to the input, publishing the message to a user specified target application or network resource.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

displaying a current character count or character limit in the user interface for the specified target application or network resource.